Joint assemblies are well known for the connection of the ends of adjacent rectangular, circular, and oval HVAC duct sections. U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,690, to Meinig, recites prior art relating to such assemblies and discloses an apparatus for connecting the ends of oval duct sections without disclosure of the method of making the apparatus; the patent does refer to U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,797, to Meinig, which discloses a one-piece flanged ring for connecting the ends of circular duct sections. U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,797 discloses a method for producing the flanged ring by contouring and then bending an elongated sheet-metal strip into an annular shape resulting in a flanged ring having an axial slit and claiming a method for producing a flanged ring characterized as an elongated sheet metal strip which is contoured and subsequently bent into annular form.
The machine method used to produce such a flanged ring is known to include roll forming. However, roll forming is limited generally to sheet-metal less than 10 gauge with roll forming causing tearing or breaking of sheet-metal in the production of flanged rings from thinner sheet-metal of gauge 10 or greater. Circular flanged rings, produced by roll forming, and thin-walled sheet-metal ducting generally do not have an absolutely circular cross section. The predominant means of manufacturing HVAC ducting is in the form of spiral seam tubes made up of helical wound sheet-metal strips with the strips interconnected by means of lock seams. The lock seams stand out from the outer duct face.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,516,797 and 5,129,690, to Meinig, are identified and disclosed in accordance with 37 C.F.R. § 1.97.